The disclosed embodiments include a system and method for initiating a video phone call using a standard phone device. For instance, in one embodiment, a method for initiating a video phone call from a first party to a second party is disclosed. The method includes receiving a call from the first party. The call is initiated using a standard phone device. The method determines whether the call is a voice call or a call request to initiate a video call. In response to a determination that the call is a call request to initiate a video call, the method terminates the call, initiates a call to a video phone device of the first party and also a communication device of the second party. The method establishes a communication session between the video phone device of the first party and the communication device of the second party.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for initiating a video phone call from a first party to a second party, the method comprising: receiving a call from the first party, the call initiated using a standard phone device; determining whether the call is a voice call or a call request to initiate a video call; responsive to a determination that the call is a call request to initiate a video call: terminating the call; calling a video phone device of the first party, wherein the video phone device is selected based on one or more of a user preference, a real time network performance of the video phone device, an importance of the second party to the first party, or a physical location of the video phone device closest to the standard phone device; calling a communication device of the second party; and establishing a communication session between the video phone device of the first party and the communication device of the second party.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the call is received over a public switched phone network.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein calling the communication device of the second party comprises calling only video phone devices of the second party.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein calling the communication device of the second party comprises calling both video phone devices and standard phone devices of the second party.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the communication session is an audio only communication session in response the second party answering one of the non-video phone devices.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the communication session is an audio and video communication session in response the second party answering one of the video phone devices.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the call is a voice call or a call request to initiate a video call comprises identifying a pre-specified code or number.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising utilizing an off-hook delay trigger in identifying the pre-specified code or number in response receiving to the call over a public switched phone network.
9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising utilizing an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem in identifying the pre-specified code or number in response to receiving the call over an Internet Protocol (IP) network.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pre-specified code is *TV or equivalently *88.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: requesting a number for the second party from the first party prior to terminating the call; and determining call identifiers of other communication devices of the second party based on the number.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the video phone device of the first party to call based on a pre-specified video call setting.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein calling the communication device of the second party is performed after the first party answers the video phone device.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing the call as usual in response to a determination that the call is a voice call.
15. A system for initiating a video phone call from a first party to a second party, the system comprising: a network interface for receiving a call from the first party, the call initiated using a standard phone device; memory for storing computer executable instructions; and a processor that executes the computer executable instructions for: determining whether the call is a voice call or a call request to initiate a video call; and responsive to a determination that the call is a call request to initiate a video call: terminating the call; calling a video phone device of the first party, wherein the video phone device is selected based on one or more of a user preference, a real time network performance of the video phone device, an importance of the second party to the first party, or a physical location of the video phone device closest to the standard phone device; calling a communication device of the second party; and establishing a communication session between the video phone device of the first party and the communication device of the second party.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein calling the communication device of the second party comprises calling both video phone devices and standard phone devices of the second party.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the call is a voice call or a call request to initiate a video call comprises identifying a pre-specified code or number.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the processor further executes the computer executable instructions for requesting a number for the second party from the first party prior to terminating the call.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the processor further executes the computer executable instructions for determining call identifiers of other communication devices of the second party based on the number.
20. A computer program product comprising a computer usable non-transitory medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising instructions to: determine whether the call received from a standard phone device of a first party is a voice call or a call request to initiate a video call; and responsive to a determination that the call is a call request to initiate a video call: terminate the call; call a video phone device of the first party, wherein the video phone device is selected based on one or more of a user preference, a real time network performance of a video phone device, an importance of a second party to the first party, or a physical location of the video phone device closest to the standard phone device; call a communication device of the second party; and establish a communication session between the video phone device of the first party and the communication device of the second party.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 20, 2012
March 10, 2015
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